Manchester United gave Barcelona a surprised display during their first leg of the Europa League play off between the two clubs at Spotify Nou Camp stadium on Thursday night.
Despite traveling to Barcelona with a depleted squad and only able to make one change through out the 90 minutes of the encounter, Erik Ten Hag was able to create a masterclass performance out his team.
This was a sign of changes the former Ajax manager has brought to the team since his appointment in the summer of 2022. He took over from Ralf Ragnick who has successfully ruined the season for the Red Devils fans and damaged the confidence of several players, it was a total contrast of what Old Trafford faithfuls expected from the Austrian when he was appointed as interim manager.
Manchester United's season deteriorated, but it was Rangnick's critical jabs that really started to spark tension in the locker room.
The players analyzed his claim that the team required "open heart surgery" on the morning of the defeat to Arsenal, a lunchtime Saturday game in April, even though the remarks hadn't been made public until 10.30 p.m. on the Friday night, in the embargoed portion of a press conference.
A few days had passed after United's humiliating 4-0 loss to Liverpool at Anfield when they made their way to the Emirates. Rangnick then turned his full arsenal against the team and the players.
Ralf Rangnick said the Red Devils required as many as 10 new players in the summer transfer window and that victory was more than half a decade away as he sat in the press room at Anfield following that defeat.
“We have to accept they are six years ahead of us now," he said of Liverpool.
"When Jürgen Klopp came [in 2015] they changed at the club and lifted not just the team but the club and city to a new level. That is what needs to happen with us in the next transfer windows."
Man United didn't add 10 new players over the summer; instead, they added five, along with Erik ten Hag as their new manager. Thus, 10 months later, Manchester United is in a cup final and still competing in two other cup competitions. They are five points behind Manchester City and Arsenal who are bracket league leaders and 13 points ahead of Liverpool.
It turned out that United only needed some expertise to catch up—not six years. Although Rangnick's critics were well received by his followers, they were also meant to draw attention away from his own shortcomings.
Some of the things he said may have had a grain of truth, but the changes since the manager changed in the summer have been dramatic, and the majority of them have been brought about by Carrington's elite coaching and hard work. None of it is favorable toward the outgoing officials.
Manchester United's summer hiring was successful, stretching the budget to accommodate Ten Hag's demands. The Dutchman undoubtedly has an eye for talent, but John Murtough, the football director, and the club's embrace of data, as well as Dominic Jordan's appointment as the first director of data science, have enhanced organizational procedures in that division.
The players who have advanced the most since the Rangnick to Ten Hag eras are what are most obviously better. Marcus Rashford has changed, and so have Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Diogo Dalot, Luke Shaw, and Bruno Fernandes. Coaching and man management have contributed to that.
It should be noted that United are not where Rangnick thought they would be in six years. Liverpool was being compared to them at the time since they were vying for every cup competition and having a potential charge in title race.
But this squad isn't far off. A date at Wembley at the end of this month and a return to the Champions League appear to be locks.
They aren't been backed by pundits to launch a title charge , but they are at the very least in the mix for the title. Just think about where they will be in 5 years time.
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